Stephen
(or Steve as his friends call him) is Santa. He first portrayed Santa in 2004 for UNC Children’s Hospital and has been hooked ever since. Prior to Santa, Steve served as a BSA Scoutmaster and it was during that time he perfected his art of storytelling. Steve skillfully painted vivid mental pictures for the boy scouts while they listened to ‘toe curling’ ghost stories around the campfire. The proof is in the detail as he loves to say.
When he became Santa, he needed new stories to provide the children with mental pictures of the North Pole and how he – Santa – lived and worked. Questions raised by elementary children were answered in earnest and his imagination knows no limits. The stories flowed to answer questions and in turn props were created to further authenticate the stories and give visual proof that yes, he is Santa.
Steve loves to share his ideas with others- knowing he can only see a limited number of children during his Santa career. He hopes that his ideas will enhance the Santa experience for many more children. He wrote his first book...
Santaology
The Art of Becoming a Great Santa Claus!
in 2016. It was a limited edition and has been sold out for the last 7 years. He was working on his second book, but changed course when he
decided he needed an new studio to teach online classes. He is now teaching the new material intended to be in Book Two in online classes offered in their newly renovated home studio. He currently teaches Santaology the Series - Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. He will begin teaching Part Four in July 2026.
Currently, he is considering reissuing the original version of Santaology, the Art of Becoming a Great Santa Claus. The reissue would be without revisions, but he has had numerous requests from past and current students. The possibility of a second book is still under consideration, but the focus is currently on the classes he and Deb now offer.
Steve was inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame in 2017 and into the Knights of St. Nicholas in 2020. He was thrilled by both, but is especially excited to have a big sword (HAHAHA).
Debra
In her previous life, she was a pediatric nurse – for over 35 years.
Initially, she planned to be a Mrs. Claus to Steve’s Santa. But, she knew that their Santa experience would be better served in another capacity after only one event and “the driver” was born.
Being “the driver” allowed her to blend into the crowd and feed information about the children, secretly without attracting the children’s attention. Doing this enabled Steve’s Santa to know everything about the children without anyone outwardly telling Santa anything. This technique became known by their clients as “Smart Santa” and, once experienced, is an always requested service.
Steve and Deb became one of their areas most requested Santa Claus, and while Steve had the stories, Deb had the intuition. Smart Santa appears magical to the families, but in reality, the magic was Deb’s uncanny ability to read children and know the right thing to say into Santa’s ear. Of course, this made Santa look like one of the most sensitive, intelligent, caring, and compassionate men ever to come along. But in truth, it was 90% Debra and Steve’s uncanny ability to make his mind go blank and open. Together they are quite the team.
Teaching Experience
Virgina Santa Gathering,*
Celebrate Santa - Gatlinburg*
Santa Family Reunion - Gatlinburg*
Discover Santa - Branson*
CWH school
Brothers Claus
ACA - American Clown Academy
Long Leaf Pines*
Friends of Santa
Super Santa Sunday -C
Palm Tree Santas
Ohio Master Claus Academy
FORBS of San Diego
Lonestar Santas - Texas*
NESS Santas - Virtual
*Denotes teaching as a couple
